Yundi at the Festival Hall

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The newly branded Yundi (hitherto Yundi Li) drew huge crowds of his loyal
compatriots (and a few Europeans, too) to his Festival Hall recital debut.
They applauded at every conceivable moment — sometimes even when the Chinese
pianist’s hands were poised on the keyboard — and photographed their way
through every prohibition.

What was actually happening on the platform was contrastingly muted. A slow,
gentle walk to the keyboard, a slow, gently easing into the world of
Chopin’s Nocturnes, and a perfect politesse that immediately marks out Yundi
from his more flamboyant rival, Lang Lang. The Chinese think of these two
piano-celebs